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Answers from Danny M O'Dell:

Q. Dear Sir,

I am approximately 185cm in height and 95 kilos in weight. I am currently training in order to drop my weight down to around 88-92 kilos, and so far I have received no joy. I train 4-5 times a week on a split body routine. Thus on one day I train my legs and chest, then on another day I train back and triceps and then on another day I train shoulders and biceps.
I then repeat this regime. I am curious as to what type of foods I need to be eating, I have been told that I need to cut out carbs and increase the amount of protein I am eating if I am to achieve my goals of losing fat and gaining solid muscle. Could you please advise me as to whether this is good advice or if there is another diet which I would be better off sticking to?

Best wishes

Liam

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Answer:

Hi Liam,

The last ten pounds are the hardest to get rid of because your body is used to the diet and your exercise routine. It has adapted to the lower caloric intake by becoming super efficient at managing these limited energy sources. To give you a quick insight for weight loss or gain keep the following in mind as you go about your daily life.

Weight gain and weight loss is expressed by the formula: ±Ci + E = WG/L which is read as ±Calories ingested + Exercise = Weight Gain/Loss. Delving further into the equation we find that positive or negative adjustments made to the daily caloric intake (indicated by the ± symbol) coupled with exercise determines whether weight is lost or gained by the trainee.

My first suggestion is to take a few days off to rest and reevaluate your diet and training. Next when you get back to hitting the exercise add in some high speed running and sprinting on alternate days to your resistance training.

I am not fond of the 4-5 day training splits you are on for the simple reason you are not giving these areas of your body adequate rest between sessions. For example when you work your chest, triceps, shoulders on successive days none of them are able to rest because they are all involved in the movements of the others.

Your stated goal is to lose the last ten pounds. In order to do that you need to apply the weight gain/loss formula to your situation. Keep your intake of carbohydrates, proteins and fats percentages at 55, 30 and 15 respectively. Losing weight does not mean upsetting the nutrient balance in your diet. It does mean cutting back on your caloric intake to get into the negative calorie balance necessary to lose the weight.

Burning more calories depends on several things that are directly under your control such as altering your caloric intake and adding more lean muscle mass. Nutrient intake is directly related to what you put into your mouth and muscle mass is a trainable condition.

Exercise the largest muscle groups of your body for three to five sets of six to eight reps with a work to rest ratio of 1:3-4 in the 75-80% 1RM bracket. You will see your muscles grow and your body composition change before your very eyes.